How I'd Like to See This Go Down

The Big Three:  We'd like $34 billion, please.

Congress:  I think we can make that happen for you.  I'd really like to see you walk away with this $34 billion!  In fact, I think we can do this today, but I'm going to have to go talk to my manager.

...

Congress:  (sliding a piece of paper across the desk to The Big 3)  Well, my manager wasn't quite comfortable with $34 billion, but I think this will still make you very happy.  Whaddaya think?

The Big 3:  (crying) This is just a Polaroid of someone's middle finger!

Congress:  I think it's a pretty fair offer, but if you want I can go back and try to talk to my manager again.  

...

Congress:  Okay, I really fought for you guys, but this is the best I can do.  My manager says you can have twelve dollars and fifty cents, and you have to buy the rust-proof coating for all of your jets.  Oh, and I'm going to need that picture back.  Well, fellas, whaddaya think?

It might not solve anything, but it'd be fun to watch!

Helen, of Margaret and Helen, has a different approach, which I also like.  

**Updated 5:53PM-I just saw this article about Polaroid.  I think The Big 3 should take the picture and be happy.  It will be worth a lot of money someday.

Happy 92nd Birthday, Grandpa!

Weekly Geeks #27-Dewey

This week's post is a tribute to Dewey, author of The Hidden Side of a Leaf blog, who passed away recently.  For anyone who doesn't know, she was a book blogger and was part of a huge community of bloggers.  One of the activities that she ran was Weekly Geeks.  Each week a new theme would be announced and everyone was invited to participate by blogging about this theme and then linking to their posts on Dewey's blog.  So, this week, in honor of Dewey, Becky has suggested that Weekly Geeks #27 be a tribute to Dewey.  Please visit Becky's site for links to other Weekly Geeks' tributes to Dewey.

Like so many people, I was shocked to hear of Dewey's passing.  I didn't really know her the way a lot of other bloggers out there did-we didn't email each other, we didn't chat, but we did exchange the occasional friendly comment.  Hers was one of the first blogs that I started following.  I was drawn in by the title, which comes from this Toni Morrison quote:

"Birth, life, and death--each took place on the hidden side of a leaf."

I love this quote; as a gardener, I know how true this is in a literal sense, but it is also infinitely expandable and applicable as metaphor.  We each live on our own hidden side of a leaf, and there are a thousand different things that take place in each of our lives that no one else (or at least very few others) is ever even aware of, but that doesn't make them any less miraculous or any less important to us.  Dewey's blog existed in a microcosm of the blogosphere that I might never have found, had I not turned over the right leaf.  But I did turn over the right leaf, and there I found a huge community of bloggers who were deeply supportive of one another, with Dewey setting the example at every turn.  In fact, I think 80% of my current Google Reader list can be attributed to Dewey in one way or another!  

She organized and participated in challenges, reviewed books, headed up the 24-hour Read-a-thon and the Bookworms Carnival, not to mention the Weekly Geeks.  I don't know how she managed to do it all, but I was always impressed by her.  And I was always going to participate Next Time.  

If you visit The Hidden Side of a Leaf, it is easy to see how many people had become a part of Dewey's on-line community, and also how many of them considered Dewey a true friend, even though many of them had never met her in real life.  I can't remember where I heard this-some movie or something I think-but years ago I remember someone saying that when we leave this world, we will not be judged by who we loved but by who loved us.  It seems to me that Dewey was loved by an amazing group of people, both in the blogging world and in her real life (she paid a lovely tribute to her husband and her son in her "About Dewey" section).  She has been an inspiration to me and to so many others, and for that I will always be appreciative.  I have added the memorial button (courtesy of Bethany) to my sidebar as a tribute to a fellow blogger whom I admired.  

My deepest condolences to Dewey's family.  I am so very, very sorry for your loss.                     

My Life in Hawaii in a Nutshell

Yes, I have put most of those 92, 537 miles on myself in the last 5 years.  And, yes, I have really averaged 28 MPH the entire time.  For those of you without a calculator handy, that comes out to just over 3,304 hours in my car, or a little over 137 days!  I would complain, but I know people have spent more time than that on life rafts, and I'm pretty sure they didn't have McDonald's, air conditioning, or (mostly mediocre) radio stations to break up the trip.  Besides, when you are meandering along at 28 MPH, you have time to look at things like this:

You also have time to ponder things like: How did they get the ocean so flat?

Late to the game

Okay, so it's already noon...ish here on Black Friday, but that doesn't mean I can't still post about some Black Friday deals.  So, full disclosure here:  Yes, I am an Amazon Associate, which means I get credit if you click through my links and buy stuff.  I try to keep my links to stuff that I actually like and am interested in and not spam my readers with links for random crap just for the monetary opportunities.  That said, here is a link to Amazon.com's Black Friday deals.  (Hey, it's Black Friday.  I'm jumping on the monetary opportunities bandwagon.)  They have Deals of the Day and Lightening Deals, all kinds of fun stuff!  So, if you were planning on doing some shopping at Amazon.com anyway, you might as well show me a little love and do it from here!  :-)  

Also, Amazon.com has this thing called Amazon Customers Vote, which I had not heard of before but apparently they have done it in the past.  How it works is, they have six rounds, each round features 3 deals, and you vote on which deal you would like to have the chance to participate in.  From the voting pool, they will send emails out to randomly selected people, offering them the chance to participate in the race to buy.  So, there will be more participants than deals, and you have to hurry your butt over to Amazon.com to try to get the deal that you want.  I know I am not explaining this very well, so just go check it out yourself.  Some of the deals I am not that excited about, but Round 6 has a KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer (licorice) available for $69.00.  That is a freakin' deal, my friends!  Some other deals include a Samsung 46-inch 1080p HDTV for $699.00, a Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-minutes (black) for $49.00, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector's Edition for $50.00 (there are 1,000 of these available, and the first 35 will be signed by J.K. Rowling).

Tesla Roadster still $109,000

Dang!  I was hoping the price would drop on these like it has on all of my stocks.  Cuz, you know, then I would be able to pick one up for the bargain price of $60,000.  HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey, a girl can dream.  According to this article,** however, the Roadster seems to be holding its value.  Perhaps the guys from GM, Ford, and Chrysler could talk to the Tesla guys about developing an electric jet.  Seems to me that would be a win-win situation for everybody!   

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, go check out the Tesla Roadster. It's all electric, and it's HOTT!  The Prius is great and all, but it looks like a hamster.  Not that there's anything wrong with hamsters.  I talked about the Roadster before here, and if anyone wanted to give me one for Christmas, I would gladly add him (or her) to my list of people I wouldn't kick in the shins.

*BONUS*  I was searching for pictures of hamsters and I ran across this, which is super cute! and this which ties in nicely with the whole green revolution theme that I've sort of got going on here.  This is the kind of innovation our country needs, people!  Exercise your hamster, shred your documents, and create fresh bedding for your hamster all without using any electricity!

**1/13/09-I know this article was written on December 28, 2008, but the article that I had originally linked to seems to have disappeared, so I went in search of another.

It's big purple suit time!

That's right, every year about this time, I pull out my big purple suit*.  Because I get cold.  Laugh at me all you want, but for me 72 degrees with a breeze blowing in off the mountains is cold.  The fuzzy socks are more of an all-purpose, year-round thing.  They make me feel like a Muppet, which is fun.     

*The big purple suit is basically a sleeping bag with leg holes and arms, and it's awesome!  It's like one of those footie sleepers that you used to wear as a kid but without the feet.  I wonder if I could wear this on the airplane.